"The first emotion that I had walking out of the court was just gratefulness to be able to play the sport that I love, at such a high level for a decade," Djokovic said, as quoted on Tennis World USA.

"I was actually asking in the universe to be honest in a couple of years to have a little more time to finally be happy in what I do. That's what tennis evokes in me, only the nicest emotions: love, passion, commitment.

"I see success not just in tennis but in life as a journey, and I try to embrace it and keep evolving, keep progressing, (and) improving."

The 12-time Grand Slam winner, however, will be returning to action for the first time since Wimbledon at Abu Dhabi's World Tennis Championship in December.